Caring
by 0oJustAFeelingo0
Summary: Even though he says he won't care, that's impossible when it comes to Maka. And when she's hospitalized, we see just how much Soul cares about her. It sounds a bit angsty, but it's not much C: Small romances, some funny stuff. SoMa, BSxTsu too :D


**A/N** *Peeks around corner* Ok. So… hello…. If you don't know me on here already, thank goodness o_o *hides*. The last story I tried, I got bored with after two chapters. So now *peeks around corner* I'm on the look-out for any stray fans that want my blood. I want to apologize to the few people out there that ended up favoriting my story or reviewing and waited, expecting more any day soon. I *quivers in fear* am SO sorry D: After that first failure, I realized I'm SO not cut out for series when writing fan fictions. So I figured, "ONE-SHOTS ARE MY CALLING!" SO, without FURTHER ADO, I'm gonna… INTRODUCE STUFF. Misleading right? Lol sorry, no story just yet C;

I would like people to know that I'm having a "temporary" (so far, 2 month long) re-interest with Soul Eater. The last time I read _official _Soul Eater content was about a month ago, so if they're terribly, scarily, horridly mauled by the OOC monster, I apologize. I'm still a noob when it comes to writing C; And I'm sorry that my first (completed) fan fiction is so… but I mean, who doesn't like sad things every now and then? Intense emotion is what makes us know we're human C:

So, this is going to be a pretty long one shot. I _guess,_ if I tried really hard and stretched the plot to a ridiculous amount, I could make this a series. I just don't have the attention span to write one. I give props to all of you out there that can =_="

Warning: there's mention of KidxLiz (I think)and BlackStarxTsubaki. If you don't like those pairings, well… tough stuff. It's there. Lo~ve it!

Oh, and this is set when they're all like, 18 and 19 years old. Just so you don't confuse Black Star's mature(lol) moments with the OOC monster ;D

So here's the story you've been LONGING for XD

Disclaimer: Why do we need these? This is a **fan fiction** website -_- . I so obviously don't own Soul Eater, otherwise Soul would've pounced Maka by now XD .

* * *

><p><em>Aw shit, it's all my fault!<em>

Panic and concern flooded his mind on the mad dash to the hospital.

_Aw shit! Why am I so-!_

"Soul, I COMMAND you to wait! I know you're worried and all, but-"

"Shut up, Black Star! Not now! I don't wanna' be preached to about how your godly presence makes everything okay!"

"I wasn't gonna' say that! Even though that's true, LISTEN TO YOUR GOD! I was GONNA' say-"

"NOT. NOW."

Black Star left his friend alone to burn in his own hate and distress as they headed up the street, the shadow of Death City Hospital looming at the end of it. Its bleak, gray appearance mirrors the ill patients' moods, dead trees and empty stone benches ignored across the courtyard. The sun was nodding off, stubbornly fighting to urge to sleep and let the moon take over its position in the sky.

_Why the hell did this have to happen? Why the hell couldn't I just TELL HER! And all of a sudden I might never fucking see her again? _What the hell!_ Dammit!_

Black Star tried to talk again, "Hey, at least Spirit is out of town, so you won't have to-"

"Don't care!"

"LISTEN WHEN YOUR GOD TALKS TO YOU!"

Soul ran ahead, up the cement courtyard path and to the foreboding double doors.

Slams and dull footsteps resounded through the empty waiting room. It was large, empty, and gray, some of the most depressing traits possible for a room. And the far end, and old lady sat behind the reception area, nodding off. The depressing hospital was making Soul even more upset, if that's even possible. _I can't believe someone like Maka has to stay in a gray hellhole like this._ "Excuse me, ma'am?" Soul nearly shouted while running up to her, giving the old woman behind the counter a near heart attack.

"Well-golly-you kids don't know what it's like to be so old! You scared the lights out of me!"

"Excuse me, but I don't have time! I need to see a patient! Her name's Maka Albarn!"

"Why, I never-! Let me check the system..." Seconds ticked by into minutes as the old women tapped away at the keyboard and Soul stood rather patiently, considering his emotional condition. Black Star was just catching up to him, lightly jogging into the room as the lady squinted at the monitor. She muttered, "3rd floor, in the operating ward. When you get off the elevator, it's to your right, down the hall on the left, ward 3-4, room 4-307."

"Thank you!" Running off to the elevator, Soul turned his head to shout, "Oh, is she still having surgery?"

Squinting back at the monitor, she called out, "I don't see any other reason why she'd be in the operating ward."

"Argh… thanks…" He turned back and continued on his way to his meister.

"HEY, don't take the spotlight away from me! The great Black Star NEVER loses to someone as lowly as a mere worshipper of my awesomeness!" Jogging after Soul, he couldn't take not having a part in the "big show" he missed at the reception desk.

"Come on, come on," Soul muttered under his breath as the lights above the elevator door showed it was still coming down. 4th floor… 3rd floor… 2nd floor…

"Hurry up, idiot! The elevator's here!"

Huffing in frustration, Black Star joined his friend, who had already ran into the elevator and slammed the '3' button. "Idiot? I'm a GOD! You can't call a GOD an idiot!"

* * *

><p>"Soul, just tell me! Who was she?"<p>

"Just some random girl!"

"You were OBVIOUSLY well acquainted, the way she was _all over you!_"

"I hardly _know_ her!"

"Oh really? I thought she was 'just some random girl?' What happened to that? All of a sudden it's 'hardly', but that still means you know her!"

"Aw, fuck Maka, you're blowing this whole thing way out of proportion!"

"I wouldn't _have_ to if you'd just answer my question!"

"Damn, this is so not cool…"

"Well?"

"Well nothing! I don't owe you an explanation!"

"As _your meister_, I order you to tell me!"

"And as _your weapon, _I order you to LAY OFF!"

"ARGH! You are just such-! Such-!"

"Such what?"

"..Such an ASS!"

_Slam!_

"ME? I'M being an ass? Look in a mirror Miss I-Just-Leave-When-I-Know-I'm-Wrong! You can go hide in your damn room, but that doesn't come _close_ to meaning I lost and owe you some sort of-! Well where are you going?"

"The damn book store!"

"Fine, go! In fact, I don't care anymore!"

"..What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"It means exactly that! I'm sick of you riding my back whenever something stupid like this happens! It's UNCOOL. So you know what, I'm just going to stop worrying about you! Asking you what's wrong is what started this whole damn argument!"

"Wha…! I'm just WORRIED for you!"

"Oh really? Could've fooled me, what with all the yelling and hitting!"

"You know what, I DON'T CARE EITHER!"

_Slam_.

"…Aw shit, I'm such an ass."

He was pretty sure he saw tears in her eyes when she slammed the front door.

* * *

><p>"Come on, come on…"<p>

Soul was looking seriously stressed, so Black Star felt like he should at least _try_ to be useful and offer some comfort.

"Hey Soul, I'm serious, you need to calm down. Even if you get there, Kid said he'd call when she gets out of the surgery. I haven't gotten a call, so she's still in there. Having to just sit there all worked up, Maka would be worried about you."

The godly assassin was willing to risk his divine dignity and try to comfort his friend, something he would never normally admit to doing. He was usually "too far above the frivolous problems of his followers." Things are looking _that_ bad; the problem isn't so frivolous this time.

"Thanks, but that doesn't make me feel any better. It's serious enough that it takes them this long to operate. She's been in there for what, twenty minutes already? And it's not done yet..."

"Dude, even if you get there, then what? All you can do is wait outside the door. And it's not like she'll know you're even there; she's unconscious."

Soul glared daggers at him. "If it was Tsubaki, you'd be reacting the same fucking way."

Black Star stared at his friend, unable to say anything against this; if Tsubaki was hospitalized because of some random bastard, he's be kicking down doors and demanding to be with her throughout the surgery. He rubbed his eyes and forehead, letting out a long sigh. Well, changing the subject, "What are the odds she'd get hit by a fucking car? Not that many people in Death City drive anyway."

"..When I was talking to Kid, he said he would ask around town as soon as we got positive news on Maka's condition."

"He told me that there probably weren't any eye witnesses, since, according to the doctors, her body wasn't found for another 15 minutes after the accident. If anyone had seen it, they would've reported the damn driver."

"Wait, it was a fucking hit-and-run?"

"Yeah. You didn't know?"

The elevator doors dinged open to a lovely view of a blank gray wall threatening to lift their moods.

"No… I didn't hear that part…"

"Well, I guess it's not so unlikely to be _intentionally_ hit by a car, but in this city, wouldn't using a less obvious approach attract less attention? I mean, the police can already narrow it down to the number of people that own cars, which definitely proves a majority of the city innocent."

"..."

"Did my awesomeness distract you? That just makes it easier to find the culprit!"

"…I got it the first time…"

"Oh, I didn't know if you heard that part. LISTEN WHEN YOUR LORD AND MASTER SPEAKS TO YOU! I thought it'd make you a bit happier."

"Happy isn't really an option right now, Black Star."

"Oh, right."

Soul calmed himself down on the outside to ease his friend, but his heart and thoughts were still scattered. He wasn't sure how, but he managed to turn in the right direction and walk down the hall, finding himself staring up at a plastic number plate reading 'Ward 3-4'.

"Hey, I can see Kid inside," said Black Star, peering through the skinny window on the hospital door.

Soul moved to open the it, but his arm started shaking and he had to stop half-way. Grabbing and squeezing his arm with his other hand calmed it down slightly. But, shaking or not, he was still too scared to face the others.

When they told him Maka's situation, what if they told him bad news?

What if the surgery failed while he and Black Star were on their way up?

What if he had to live alone from now on?

He'd have to move; he wouldn't be able to stay in a place that had memories of her all over.

He'd never be able to find a new meister; Maka wa-IS the only one for him.

Seeing conflict mirror on Soul's face, Black Star took the initiative and opened the door to the operating ward. Kid, Liz, and Patty all looked up to see who was coming in. The 3rd floor operating ward was a short hallway stretching off the wall opposite the entrance. The cream colored hall had 6 rooms for surgery and benches stretching between the doorways. Kid, Liz, and Patty all sat on the same bench across the hall from the second door on the left; the only door with a light on over it.

"Maka… she's still in there," Kid stated hoarsely. His voice was worn out as if it hadn't been used recently; he'd probably been sitting with the Thompson sisters in absolute quiet.

A painful silence followed Black Star and Soul into the small waiting area. The whirring of the air conditioning and various medical machines sounded from the surrounding rooms, making the silence even more emphasized. Soul sat across the hall from the trio, as close as possible to Maka's door.

"Hey- huh?" Black Star looked around, "Where's Tsubaki?"

"Oh, um, she's in the bathroom," Liz muttered, Patty nodding as if to reinforce her sister.

"Ah, okay then. I'm going to go wait for her in the hall. SHE GETS SO LOST WITHOUT THE GREAT BLACK STAR AROUND!"

Black Star left the ward, his absence causing another horrible quiet to settle around the nervous friends. To make up for Tsubaki's absence, Liz was frantically thinking of something comforting to say to Soul. On the other hand, Patty's mind was blank. She just sat there staring at the floor, waiting for something to happen. Kid decided to do something about the depressing atmosphere and tried getting a few answers out of Soul.

"So, why didn't you answer your phone earlier?"

"…Huh?" The sudden conversation caught the anxious weapon off-guard.

"When I called an hour or so ago. I called your home phone since you said you'd be at home all day."

"Oh, uh… I had my headphones on. I didn't hear it ring." _I was trying to forget about the fight._

Kid sighed and smiled, despite the situation. He muttered, "Honestly, of all times…"

"And um… thanks for sending Black Star to tell me. I… probably wouldn't have known otherwise."

"Ah, yes, well, I had to call him since we weren't together. I told him Maka was in the hospital because she was hit by a car, and that he had to go over to your apartment to get you because you weren't answering the phone. He was eager to find out why you weren't with her. Usually when one of you goes out, the other follows."

"Mmm…"

"He sent Tsubaki ahead and she arrived well before you two."

"Mmm…"

"…Did something happen?"

"We got in a fight again."

Another sigh. "Geez, seriously?"

Despite Kid's comment, Soul kept going. "It was just a petty fight. Something stupid. I got her really pissed off though this time, and she just stormed out, and…"

"…And what?"

"…I actually made her cry this time."

Once again, silence fell among the group. Patty had listened, but hadn't bothered to comment. She'd already figured it was something along those lines. But Liz didn't see it coming; she could now see the extreme the level of guilt Soul felt. If anything else was said, she was sure Soul would explode with distress. But it had to be addressed; they couldn't sit there in tense silence until the medical report came.

So Kid was the one to break the pause once again. "Soul-"

"It was my fault."

"…No it wasn't, Sou-"

"If I hadn't pissed her off-"

"Listen to me-"

"If I had just _told_ her-"

"Soul, be quiet and-"

"If I hadn't let her storm out-"

"Hey-"

"-just to get away from me-"

"Stop talking like that-"

"Now I might never be able to talk to her again-"

"When I said stop, I meant-"

"She'll never know how important she really is to me-"

"She's not going to-"

"I can't tell her how I _actually_ feel-"

"Soul-"

"I've known for a while, but-"

"I'll say it once more-"

"I couldn't bring myself to-"

"SOUL."

Soul suddenly stopped his emotional rant, realizing he was no longer sitting all composed like he had been initially. He was hunched over, face in his hands, nearly screaming out his words to try and ease away the painful regret. _Dammit, not cool._

Kid leaned forward, symmetrically resting his elbows on his legs, clenching his hands in front of his frown.

"Soul, it's not your fault at all."

A pause.

"…How can you say that so easily…"

"No matter how you look at it, you're not the one that hit her with a car. The driver is the one at fault, not you."

He clenched his hands and dug his finger nails into his palms without realizing. "But if I hadn't been so stupid and just told her what she wanted… needed to hear…" His voice strained slightly, but he continued. "She wouldn't have left. She wouldn't have gotten hit." Soul's voice rose with each word as he vented himself again, yelling at the floor. "She wouldn't be in this depressing hospital. She wouldn't be fucking unconscious. She wouldn't be getting surgery. She wouldn't-"

"_Soul_, it's _not your fault_."

"…She wouldn't be hating me," he finished in a hoarse whisper. He could feel his eyes start to burn and covered his face with his hands again. He tried to rub away to hot sensation in his eyes.

She couldn't just sit and watch this anymore. This time, Liz wanted to do the comforting._ What would Tsubaki say…?_ Patty tuned in as her sister drew in a long breathe.

"…Soul," she breathed out, exasperation and seriousness dripping from her voice, "you should know this by now: no matter how many stupid things you do," her voice started rising with each word, following Soul's pattern, "no matter how pissed off she gets at you, no matter what dumb things you do with the excuse that it's for her own good, _no matter what_…" her voice softened, "she would _never _be able to hate you. It's against every fiber in her body; every particle in her soul." Liz looked up, smiling at Soul's wide, desperate eyes. "You, of all people, should know this by now…"

As is the recurring pattern, a silence fell over the group. It was still filled with nervous anxiety over Maka, but it wasn't as intense anymore. A weight lifted slightly off of Soul's shoulders, but he wanted to hear Maka say some comforting words before he totally felt at ease. Even though it seemed childish, he seemed to view the surgery more optimistically. Less "it'll fail" and more "she'll make it."

Kid had a small grin on his face, smiling at nothing in particular, proud of the way his weapon had handled Soul's momentary fit of angst. Liz glanced at Soul and, seeing him relax, knew she'd said just what he'd needed to hear.

As the minutes passed, the light above room 4-307 still on, Soul's anxiety and guilt started seeping through Liz's reinforcement. But thankfully, before he got too weighed down again, the door to the ward opened to reveal a blue-haired friend that had almost been forgotten about. Black Star walked in, Tsubaki following behind him, looking at each of her friends in turn. She met Soul's eyes and gave him a knowing look, one that basically told him "I'm glad to see you're handling this pretty well."

"Your LORD AND MASTER has arrived! AHAHAHAHA!"

Black Star plopped down on the bench next to Soul, Tsubaki sitting on the assassin's other side. Liz leaned forward, knowing full well Black Star was about to start talking.

"So," Black Star started, "any news?"

Kid was the one to answer. "No, not yet."

"Have the doctors told us what kind of shape she's in at least? You didn't get that far when we talked on the phone."

"Bad. That's all I know for sure." Seeing Soul's jaw clench, Kid continued. "All the doctor could see from a glance was that she had some sort of concussion, an ankle problem, and a huge bruise just above her stomach."

Tsubaki covered her mouth with her hands out of shock. These were the first details she'd heard of Maka's condition.

Black Star kept going. "…How do you see a bruise like that at a glance?"

"Oh, her shirt was torn a bit. Just barely." Kid stole a quick look at Soul and saw him hunched forward again, hands clasped tightly in front of him. Even so, he had to finish. "And also, there was… a lot of blood."

Soul could almost feel his heart split inside his chest. _Her blood…_

Black Star continued to question, wanting to be as caught up to the situation as possible. That being said, he wasn't entirely oblivious to his tense friend next to him. "And since then, there's been no word?"

"No, nothing. The doctor said he'd send someone to update us as soon as possible, but I think he probably forgot; after all, he did kind of have his hands full."

Tsubaki glanced from Black Star to Kid to Soul. She could see that Kid and Black Star were saying this for Soul's own good. He had to know what had happened, whether he wanted to or not. Better to know now than to be shocked all at once when the doctor finally comes out.

"Hmph… How DARE they keep the great BLACK STAR waiting!" Black Star shouts.

All eyes are on Soul, wondering how he'll handle it.

_Everyone is already pretty nervous about Maka…_ With a sigh, Soul leans back in his seat and stares long and hard at the ceiling. He mutters, "You don't say…"

The girls were relieved to see him calm and sighed inwardly at his lack of tension. But, Kid and Black Star knew him better. They knew he was trying to act calm so they wouldn't worry as much; Soul would think they needed to be thinking of Maka at a time like this. The two teens exchanged quick glances, afterward each knowing they were on the same wavelength.

That forgotten friend named Silence came right back in, settling itself between the friends. This time, he didn't stay long as the door to the ward swung open. A young nurse walked in, clothed in all white and her brunette hair tied up it a loose bun. Looking at the teens, she said, "Oh, are you all friends of Ms. Maka Albarn?"

Kid, like usual, spoke for the whole group. "Yes we are." Even though he didn't care about appearances in this situation, he stayed strong and restrained himself from desperately asking about his friend in surgery. If he started freaking out now, Soul would definitely be even more lost; more so than he already is.

"Ah, well hello. My name is Ms. Susan. I'm here to get a report on Ms. Albarn's condition." Taking another look at the distressed faces, she added, "When I'm done, I'll come out and tell you all how she's doing." She smiled at them, then disappeared behind the double doors that separated them from Maka.

Soul grew more anxious for his meister. _I hope she doesn't forget about us like the doctor did._

Over the next few minutes, no one even bothered to try talking. They were all feeling impatient and worried, which is an awful combination. But Soul, by far, felt the worst. Coming in close second was Tsubaki, fearing for her best girl friend.

What seemed like half an hour was, in reality, only a few minutes. Ms. Susan emerged from Maka's room. The light above her door was still on.

Soul was the fastest in turning around and looking up at her expectantly. She could obviously see he was the most worried, so she looked at him while addressing the whole group. She smiled.

The light above the door went off.

"Your friend is just fine."

The nurse's next words were only given slight attention, as the friends all became overwhelmed with ease. "The doctor apologizes for not informing you all of her progress, but he says that if he hadn't acted as quickly as he had, the surgery would've been under much more dire circumstances. Of course she still has broken bones and scrapes, but the injuries are no longer fatal. She's a very lucky girl."

With the silence as nothing but a mere memory, the whole group visibly relaxed. Kid and Black Star leaned forward, bending their heads and sighing. Tsubaki's eyes started watering out of thankfulness and she covered her mouth with her hands to hide her quivering bottom lip. Liz and Patty hugged one another, squeezing the other and laughing a bit into their hair. Soul hunched forward, but kept his eyes locked with the nurse's, as if he wasn't allowed to accept it just yet. He was stuck in a daze; suddenly, it seemed as if the last few hours didn't mean anything at all. In the end, all his worrying didn't have to amount to anything, thankfully.

Ms. Susan continued her update, this time looking to each of them in turn instead of focusing on just Soul. "Some of the assistant nurses and I are about to wheel Ms. Albarn to her room on a stretcher. If you'd like, you're welcome to wait and follow us to her room, or you can just head over there now. She'll be the only patient in room 305. Out that door," she gestured to the door at the end of the hall, "and to the left. Once the doctor finishes up a few health scans in there," she gestured to the operating room she stood in front of, "he'll follow us and give you all an official medical update."

Tsubaki was the first to stand. " I want to go make sure the room is comfortable for her." She looked knowingly at Liz, relaying a wordless message.

"Yeah, I'll go with Tsubaki," Liz said, stretching and sighing out her built up stress.

"I wanna go with you, sis!" Patty exclaimed, hopping up to stand by her big sister.

Smiling, Liz replied, "Sure thing, Patty." One their way out, Liz started talking. "Geez, all these negative emotions _can't_ be good for my skin!"

Kid's eyes followed them out, then he turned to address Black Star and Soul. "I'm going to go with them. You know those three, always getting lost." And with that, Kid got up and left for room 305.

Black Star laughed at the closed door to the operating ward. "GYAHAHAHA! They realize they're not BIG ENOUGH to stay in my presence for too long! I guess my greatness is just too overpowering!" He turned to smile at Soul, who was still lost in a daze, staring at the floor. "Hey, Soul." At his name, he snapped out of his trance and looked at his friend. "I'll wait here with you. I bet you wanna' see her as soon as possible, right?"

Even though Soul turned away from him, Black Star didn't take it as an insult. Instead, he just laughed even more.

Room 4-307 opened to the foot of a stretcher and Soul watched it pull into the hall in slow motion. There, in the middle of the pure white hospital sheets, lay his meister. His best friend. His partner for life.

For life…

_See how uncool you make me Maka?_

She was asleep, breathing softly through her slightly open mouth. Without realizing what he was doing, without thinking, Soul stood up and walked over to the stretcher. After looking at the scrapes and cuts on her face, he looked down her arms, which were over the sheets. He grabbed the hand closest to him, thankfully it wasn't the one with a brace on it. The whole time the nurses wheeled Maka to her hospital room, no one made a move to separate Soul from his most important person. Black Star followed the stretcher. He was there if Soul needed him, but he wanted to give his buddy some space to sort his thoughts.

Even when the troop entered room 305 to find Liz, Patty, Kid, and Tsubaki waiting, Soul didn't let go. In fact, he tightened his hold on her hand. The nurses wheeled the stretcher to the hospital bed next to the window and unloaded Maka onto the bed, the whole time working around Soul, who refused to let go or move aside. When Maka was safely tucked in by Ms. Susan, Soul continued to stand there, holding her hand. He wasn't even thinking about how uncool he was being in front of the others, he just wanted to be selfish and not let go.

Ms. Susan, left the room, saying, "I'll be right back with some chairs," and, in the hall, she called to a passing nurse to help her get them.

Some other nurse was busy in the corner of the room, writing something down on her clip board. The friends (with the exception of Soul) started chatting about trivial things: how a bed by the window had a nice view, how the big window made the room have cheerier lighting, how at least the walls were cream instead of gray.

The nurses and chairs came, everyone grabbing one and settling themselves around Maka's bed. Tsubaki pulled up a chair behind Soul, which he thanked her for and sat in. He hesitantly let go of Maka's hand to scoot closer to the wall when Tsubaki pulled up her own chair next to his, Black Star on her other side. Kid, Liz, and Patty situated themselves on the other side of the bed.

"I don't think she'll wake up soon. We used a drug to put her securely under as a precaution; we didn't want her waking up in the middle of surgery," Ms. Susan reported front next to the door. "Oh," looking back into the hallway, she exclaimed, "here comes Dr. Williams!"

Everyone turned to see a middle-aged man walk into the room. He was wearing a long lab coat and was busy removing his gloves. He looked up at the teens and smiled, mustache twitching, crinkles around his eyes and mouth emphasized from many past smiles. "Well, hello to you all," he said through his smile. He had a jolly voice; it was hard to believe a person could seem so positive when constantly surrounded by illnesses. "I do apologize for forgetting to update you on Ms. Albarn's condition. But, well, when you're doing something interesting, you get caught up in it and forget the rest of reality and-"

Under his breath, Black Star muttered, "_No one_ steals the spotlight from the almighty Black Star…"

"-oh, well, you understand having hobbies right? Well, I-"

"Sir," Ms. Susan interrupted him before he got too caught up in his passion that he forgot to give the medical report. "Would you please read them the results of the surgery?"

"What? Surgery? Huh-OH, yes yes, I apologize. Oh, forgive me, your mind starts to wander farther as you grow older." After this, the people in the room started listening to him more attentively. "Uhm, where is Ms. Albarn's parent or guardian?"

Soul responded for them, "Her dad is out of town, but she's already 18."

"Ah, is that so? Well, good! That makes things much simpler. We don't need a parent to sign all these then!" Dr. Williams threw a majority of the papers he'd been holding in the general direction of Ms. Susan, who tried and failed to catch them despite being caught off guard.

"Well then, here's how it is," Dr. Williams began. "She has two broken ribs, a dislocated wrist and ankle, a minor concussion, and a whole lot of minor skin abrasions. A few of them will scar, but all the rest should go away with time. The reason we had to perform surgery quickly was because, when the ambulance found her, she was surrounded by broken glass. I'm not an expert when it comes to crimes, but it seems as if she crashed into and broke the windshield of the car that hit her. That should be what happened because she was found on a side street, and only a few of the buildings had windows facing it. The few windows there were all intact, as I've been informed by the people that retrieved her body, so we can't speculate where else it could come from." He took a deep breath and continued. "That is also how we imagine she got glass shards so dangerously close to her heart."

The whole room froze.

"Wa-was that what the surgery wa-was for?" Tsubaki asked with a shaking voice.

"Yes. Unfortunately, that is one of the few scars that won't disappear. There were quite a few pieces of glass lodged in her skin, but a few were dangerously deep and close to her heart, so, naturally, we had to use surgical procedures to remove them."

A tense air settled in the room as Dr. Williams explained why this meant the surgery had to be rushed. Tuning him out, Soul turned back to look at Maka's face. She was so incredibly lucky to be alive now. Hell, _he_ was so incredibly lucky. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his rough hand, rubbing his thumb over a few scrapes on her cheek.

"-It's a good thing the scars on her face aren't deep. Most of them only broke the top layer of skin, but some of them bled quite a lot. She's lucky she gets to keep that young little face of hers," Dr. Williams continues, still smiling his Santa Clause-like smile.

While everyone was facing the other direction to watch the doctor, Soul smiled for the first time all day. He looked at her face and imagined her horror, waking up and seeing her face all scraped up. She took pride in her naturally smooth skin, so this would probably make her pout that adorable pout of hers for a few days.

As time dragged on, the nurses and Dr. Williams left, smiling while telling them that, since the beds in the room were empty, a few of them could stay the night. None of them were interested in spending the night in such a depressing building except Soul; he didn't want to go back to that empty apartment just yet.

Liz and Patty were the first to decide to leave. Liz claimed she needed her "beauty rest" and Patty said she wanted to "stick with sis." Kid decided to leave with them, saying he was going to ask around town for any suspects to the car accident, leaving Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki as the last ones.

"We'll visit tomorrow," Kid told them with a gentle smile as he turned and shut the door.

Black Star turned to Tsubaki and grinned. "See? I told you everything would be alright!" He smiles that goofy smile he always puts on when trying to cheer up Tsubaki. The funny thing is, it works every time. She covers her mouth to stifle her giggles in the polite fashion she's known for. "Yes, and thank you for comforting me earlier, Black Star."

"AH-uh, not-eh? Mm," Black Star struggled and flailed around, then whispered something in Tsubaki's ear. Her eyes widened a bit, then she looked at Soul. Turning to the reddening ninja, her mouth turned down a bit.

"Well, why can't I?"

"…" He stared at her unhappy face. When he finally gave in, he sighed and covered his face with his hands. "Oh, dammit, fine then!"

"I don't know why you're so embarrassed," she said, leaning in to see his face. Black Star cracked his fingers open so he could see, but when he saw how close their faces were, he just stood up all of a sudden.

"I'M THE GREAT BLACK STAR! EMBARASSMENT? HAH! I'M TOO BIG FOR THAT! …I'm going to the bathroom…" And with that, he dashed out of the room and slammed the door.

Neither weapon knew how to react, so they just stared at the door Black Star disappeared through. After a while, Tsubaki started to giggle again. "How can he be so shy about the smallest thing?"

"What- Black Star? _Shy?_" Soul couldn't really believe what he was hearing.

"Haha, yeah." Tsubaki smiled sweetly at Soul, recalling some memories. "Earlier, I was crying about Maka in the bathroom, but when I came out he was waiting for me. And…" Tsubaki smiled a bit wider, "well, he just comforted me, but he said some embarrassing things and stumbled all over himself saying them." She looked back at the door. "Then he just ran off back to you guys, but I followed him."

Soul started to laugh, "HAHAH, the great Black Star, huh?"

Tsubaki's mood relaxed when she saw him laugh. "Haha, yeah. He really is… he's a great friend."

"The best, right?"

"Yeah. The best."

The two shared a comfortable silence, Soul reaching for Maka's hand again while Tsubaki recalled the bathroom incident. _Oh, hey._

_Oh *sniff* Hi there, Black Star. *sniff* This is the girls' bathroom; the boys' one is down the hall._

_Uh yeah, but, I-I was looking for you._

_Me? Why?_

_Because, I figured you'd feel LOST without the great BLACK STAR!_

_..._

_Uh, well, you see… since you're like, best friends with Maka, I thought you'd, you know, take it pretty hard. So I just kinda figured-_

_Oh, thank you for your concern, but I'm fine._

_Don't smile at me like that, you're eyes are all red from crying your heart out._

…

_Tsubaki, Maka will pull through, don't worry about it._

…_How can you be sure?_

_What?_

…

…_Because I'm a god, Tsubaki. Gods know everything._

_*sigh*_

_And also because, you know, I just do._

…_Thank you for saying that, but in this sort of situation, I'm not sure if it means much…_

_Gods are NEVER WRONG! BAHAHAHA! … And also, Tsubaki… if you of all people got depressed over this, the others will think there's absolutely no hope for Maka._

…_Why is that?_

_Because you're so- you know- so… happy. And nice. And… you smile a lot… so, if you weren't smiling, I think the others would be even more lost._

…_Black Star-_

_ACK! Why are you _crying_? Wha-wha-_

_*hugs* Thank youuu…_

_Ahh… yeah… My greatness was too overwhelming, huh?_

Black Star slowly opened the door and walked back into room 305. "Hey, Tsubaki, it's getting late and I'm hungry."

"Oh, right! Well Soul, I guess we'll be heading back. Look after Maka for us!" With a bright smile, Tsubaki followed her meister out of the room. Soul just smiled after them, knowing that Black Star needed some sort of attention to boost his ego.

Soul sat in silence for a few hours, thinking about nothing in particular. He forgot he was still in his chair and ended up falling asleep with his head and arms on Maka's bed. After a few hours of light sleep, Soul was stirred awake.

"-oul."

"No… not… not the elf too…"

"Soul, just what kind of dream are you having? *giggle*"

Soul shot upright, his eyes meeting green. "Ma-Maka?"

"Hey there," she smiled at him.

"Uh, yeah, hey…"

Silence…

"Um, Maka?" he began nervously.

"Hmm?"

"I wanted to… say I'm sorry…"

"Huh? For wha-"

She got cut off by a back breaking hug.

"ACK, Soul, that hurts, you idiot!"

"OH, sorry!" He loosened his hold on her, but wouldn't let go. "Sorry…" He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Turning pink, she asked, "Soul, why are you all depressed?"

He looked up at her with a mix of shock, disbelief, and anger. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Huh? Well, yeah I am. What's up?"

"…WHAT'S UP? You're in the fucking HOSPITAL!"

"Oh, is that where this is?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Well, I just woke up too, you know! I saw you sleeping there and I thought I should wake you up, sleeping like that had to be uncomfortable and-"

"UNCOMFORTABLE? You're worrying about THAT?"

"Why do you keep yelling at me?"

Soul shot out of his chair and started flailing his arms around, trying to emphasize what he was saying. "Because you're fucking UNBELIEVEABLE! You don't even notice you're in a hospital, or that you're injured, or that it's-" he looks at the clock on the wall, "-three in the fucking morning, or that-!"

"…? That what? What else 'haven't I noticed?'" The last part was said with a mocking tone.

Soul just sighed and sat back down. He leaned back to look at the ceiling. "…It hasn't even crossed your mind that I might be worried about you…"

…

"Wait, huh? Wait a- huh?"

"Argh, whatever! Just forget I-"

"Hush! Wait a sec, I'm starting to remember some stuff!"

Soul watched as Maka's face twisted into concentration. Her eyes shot open. "HOLY SHIT I was hit by a car!"

…

"NAW, REALLY? I thought EVERYONE got surgery! You know, FOR KICKS!"

Maka held her swimming head with a shaking hand. "Shit, I remember everything…"

"…Well? Explain 'everything!'"

"I was-" concentrating, "-on my way to the book store. I'd stopped somewhere to eat and I was on my way over there when…"

"…When what?"

"…When I heard a really loud engine. I turned around and saw… a small green car… and it was heading right towards me. I thought it saw me, so I just stepped to the side a bit. But I guess… It hit me anyway…"

"Yeah, Black Star told me it was a hit-and-run."

"What? Black Star was there?"

"No, you weren't found for another… I think 15 minutes. I'm pretty sure it was just some random person that called an ambulance; I'm still sketchy on some details, so I'm not quite sure how Kid found that out. But he called Black Star, and Black Star came over to tell me."

"Why didn't they just call you?"

"…I didn't answer…"

"Well, why?"

"…I was listening to music, so I… didn't hear it ringing…"

"*sigh* Of all times… Where's a hard-backed book when you need one, huh?"

Soul flinched, covering his head. "Well, if I'd known, I totally would've answered it! Shit."

"Well, anyway, thanks for staying with me," Maka said, giving up on looking for a book and smiling her sweetest smile at a very shocked weapon.

"…What, you're not mad?"

"Huh? Why should I be mad at you?"

…

"WHAT THE HELL, MAKA!"

"What?"

"I WAS SO DAMN WORRIED AND NOW YOU DO'T EVEN GIVE A FUCK? NO, that is NOT happening!"

"Why are you so-?"

"I WAS DYING OF GUILT BECAUSE THIS WHOLE THING IS MY FUCKING FAULT!"

"…Wha- no it's not. Wait, you weren't driving the car, were you?"

"STOP JOKING AROUND! I'M BEING SERIOUS HERE!"

"Hahah, okay, I know. But , it's not like it's your fault at all."

"YES IT IS! If I'd just told you that she was just some girl with a crush on me, or if I hadn't let you storm out, if I hadn't gotten so you damn PISSED OFF-"

"You're an idiot."

…

"Huh…"

"Soul, this was obviously an intentional thing, so the criminal probably could've done it some other time."

"Yeah, but I would be WITH YOU then!"

"Oh please, you didn't miss much."

"WHAT? I could've PREVENTED this WHOLE DAMN THING!"

"*sigh*Soul…"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT. I'M JUST GOING TO STOP-"

This time, he was to one to be cut off by a bone crushing hug. He tensed in Maka's warm embrace.

"Don't you dare say you'll just stop caring."

Soul relaxed a bit, then hugged her back. "Yeah… sorry."

They just sat there, treasuring each other's company.

"Soul?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For caring."

"Mm."

* * *

><p><strong>A****N** AWH! Well, I guess the end was pretty good! :D But, I can't help but feel the ending was a bit… _ oh well ./sigh

I tried to throw in some humor when I could. I know I said "IT'S DEPRESSING" at first, but that was how it seemed in my head. When I type it out, I can't help but make it more light-hearted C: I can't take too much serious angst =_= Sorry if you found traces of the OOC monster. Soul is the one it was attracted to the most, mainly because it wanted to see Soul all panicky over Maka CX

So, what'd you guys think? WAS IT "EPIC AWESOMENESS THAT DESERVES REVIEWS!"? OR was it "Meh, it wasn't terrible,"? Either way, I hope you'll review and tell me how yer feelin' C: If I get enough reviews, I'll probably write another one-shot :D

Alright, well, thanks for taking the time to read this :D

./waves energetically


End file.
